Conveyer



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 CONVEYER R. B. ROGERS Q A M 1 L m 55:? m J M Q m r Filed July 21 1924 Nov. 3, 1925.

Nov. 3, 1925- R. B. ROGERS couvsmn Filed July 21. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 H 2.6 ll m I nccnlar' Evie/'2 8. Rogers (Yuma,

Patented Nov. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES ROBERT B. ROGERS, F GHEWELAH, WASIIINGTON.

CONVEYER.

Application filed July 21, 1924. SeriaINo. 727,252.

To all whom; it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT B. Rooms, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chewelah, in Stevens County and State of lVashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Conveyers, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improvements in conveyors of the box-car loader type, which are constructed and particularly mounted to enter box cars, or for use on open cars, for loading them.

The apparatus or machine of the invention is adapted to convey grain received from a warehouse to the interior of a standard railroad car, or to convey coal, ores, sand, gravel and similar materials for loading purposes in or on railway cars.

By the utilization of my invention I pro vide a simple, economical and eflicient labor saving apparatus in the nature of a portable conveyer or loader preferably mounted upon a frame or platform carried by a truck, which latter is manually or otherwise controlled in its relation to the box car or other receptacle. The machine also contemplates a power operated endless conveyer and frame capable of being swung by manual or other power in a vertical plane for reversing the conveyer in order that the material may be deposited in selected ends of the car when a. car is being loaded. By this construction and arrangement of parts the apparatus or machine may be properly positioned and the conveyer introduced through the open door of a standard railroad'box car and readily adjusted at the will of the operator to selectively deliver the load or material conveyed at the ends of the car as well as at intermediate points throughout the length of the car. i

The invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements of parts as will be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed. y

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one complete example of the physical embodiment of my invention wherein the parts are combined and arranged according to the best mode I have thus far devised for the practical application of the principles of my invention.

Figure 1 is a planview of the loading machine showing its endless conveyer in operative position with relation to the interior of a box car.

Figure 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view at line 2-2 of Fig. 1 through the power shaft, showing the reversing mechanism for the conveyer.

Figure 3 is a view in elevation at the front or operating end of the conveyer, showing in dotted lines its reverse position.

Figure 4 is a view in side elevation of the loader.

Figure 5 is a detail perspective view of a portion of the endless conveyer belt and illustrating a double reversely operating bucketor pocket'thereon.

The portable loader is preferably carried on atruck 1 having wheels Q'that travel on the trackway 3, the latter being laid. on. lines perpendicular to or at right angles to the railway track upon which the standard box car indicated at B in Fig. 1 is'standing. One or more of the trackways 3 may be used disposed at right angles to the railroad track and a number of loaders may be used for loading a train of cars simultaneously.

The portable truck may be moved to position and rolled on its track under manual control, and for this purpose'I have shown in Figure lan anchoring cable l attached to a suitable fixed support and wound on the drum 5 supported transversely of the truck.

The drum may be turned byuse of the hand crank 6 to windthecable and thus pull the truck away from the box car-5B, or other suitable power may be utilized for this purpose. 1

The conveyer is operated preferably by an electric motor"? carried by the truck and enclosed within a housing 8, and the power shaft 9 of the motor which extends longitudinally of the truck projects forwardly thereof and is supported from cross bolsters 10 and 11 of an extension truck frame 12.

A portion of the power shaft9 is enclosed by and theshaft is rotatable in a cylindrical casing 13 which issupported to be oscillated in its spaced bearings 14; and 15 onthe bolsters 11 and 12, and the power shaft is thus journaled within the casing tobe revolved from the motor, suitable controlling means being utilized for the motor, and suitable means also being employed for reversing the direction of rotation of the power shaft as required.

The casing forms part of a reversible conveyer' frame which also includes an obliquely extending brace 16, a lateral arm 17 and a short brace 18 projecting from the arm and substantially parallel with the oblique brace 16. The braces and arm may be metal caste ings or pipes of proper size and these frame members may be connected together as a rigid structure with T and Y-joints or connections as shown in Fig. 1.

At the outer end of the power shaft and the conveyer frame is carried an endless conveyer disposed transversely of the power shaft and comprising an endless belt 19 of suitable material which is supported on a flanged drive pulley 20 on the end of the power shaft and an idle pulley 21 on the short stud shaft 22 of the conveyer frame. The belt has aflixed on its outer side buckets or pockets forconveying the material, which pockets as best seen in Fig. 5 are made up of pairs of angle plates 23 and 24 arranged as double-acting members designed to convey the material on the upper working flight of the belt as that bight of the belt movesaway, in either direction, from the drive pulley. Thus in Figure 3 with the conveyer in full lines at the right the buckets or pockets on the top working flight of the belt will convey the material to the right. WVhen the conveyor is swung to the dotted position in Figure 3 and the belt travels in the reverse direction, the complementary set of double buckets or pockets on the top flightof the belt will convey the material to the left.

The material is fed to the conveyer from a chute or hopper 25 alined with the longitudinal axis of the power shaft and positioned in suitable manner to extend within and convey material to the interior of the box car for deposit on the conveye-r belt and buckets. The nozzle or spout26 of the chute may have'opposed exits to deposit the material on a selected side of the longitudinal center of the drive pulley to be received by the outwardly traveling buckets. When the exit at the right side of the nozzle is being used for depositing the material on the conveyer, the exit at the left side of the nozzle is closed, and vice versa.

As shown in Figure 1 the material is being conveyed to the left in the direction indicated by the arrow, by the buckets on the top working flight of the belt and the material is deposited at the left end of the conveyer. In Fig. 3 the material is being conveyed to the right by the buckets-0n the top flight of the belt. After one end of the box car has been filled, the conveyor is swung, manually, and reversed, as to the dotted position in Figure 3. The conveyer and its fi'ame are bodily swung through a vertical plane as indicated by the arc line in Figure 3, the axis of the power shaft benig the center of movement of the frame and conveyer.

The frame is swung by applying power to its casing 13, and for this purpose the latter has secured thereto a reversing" worm gear 27 enclosed in the housing 28, the gear and its housing of course extending transversely of the power shaft and casing. Below theworm gear and transversely of the power shaft is journaled a transverse worm shaft 29 supported in bearings 29 on the truck extension frame 12. The worm shaft has a worm wheel 30 engaging the gear 27 at all times, and the shaft is turned manually by power applied to the hand wheel 31 on the end of the worm shaft and located at one side of the truck. It will be apparent that by turning the hand wheel 31-the conveyer and its frame may be swung in a vertical plane for the purpose described.

The worm wheel is used to turn the conveyer to vertical position in order that it may be introduced through the open doorway to the interior of the car. After the conveyer and its frame have been swung to selected lateral positionwithin the car, the frame and conveyer maybe further tilted, by turning the hand wheel to a desired inclination for disposing of. the material on the conveyer.

The speed of the traveling endless belt may be regulated to control the discharge therefrom'of the material. Thus at the initial performance of the conveyer, the movement of the top flight may be increased in order that the material may be thrown from its outer end toward the end of the car. As the end'of the car is filled, the speed of the belt may be reduced to decrease the throw and consequently the material will be deposited nearer the dclivery end of'the conveyer. By suitable implements the material may be distributed after or while it is being discharged from the delivery end of the conveyer. After one end of the car has been lcaded'the position of the conveyeris reversed and the operation of therpower shaft is reversed, and a proceeding at this end of the car is followed similar to the one performed at the other end of the car.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent isi 1. In a loader the combination with a supporting frame, of an oscillatable casing journaled therein and a single conveyer frame fixed to said casing to swing to either side of the casing, a power shaft .in the casing and a drive pulley thereon, an idle pulley journaled in the conveyer frame and an endless conveyor supported on said pulleys.

2. In a loader the combination with a sup port, of an oscillatable member journaled therein to swing through an arc of. degrees and a conveyer frame fixed to said member, a powerv shaft within the member, and a conveyer mechanismsupported on said shaft and conveyer frame transversely of the power shaft.

3. In a loader the combination with a lit) portable supporting frame and an oscillatable casing journaled therein, of a power shaft within said casing having an unenclosed end and a. drive pulley thereon, a supporting conveyer frame adapted to swing to either side of said shaft comprising a structure rigid with the casing, a supporting pulley journaled in said structure, and

an endless conveyer disposed transversely of the power shaft and supported on said pul' leys.

a. The combination with a truck having a longitudinal extension frame and an oscillatable casing journaled therein, of a motor on the truck, a power shaft actuated by the motor and enclosed within said casing, a drive pulley on an unenclosed end of the power shaft, a conveyer frame rigidly connected with said casing to swing to either side of the shaft, a pulley journaled in the conveyer frame, and ah endless conveyer supported on said pulleys.

5. In a loader as described the combination with a conveyer frame including a casing, and a power shaft therein, of bearings for the casing, and means for oscillating said casing to either side of the shaft to reverse the position of the loader.

6. In a loader as described the combination with a conveyer frame including an oscillatable casing, and a power shaft in the easing, of a worm wheel on the casing, a worm shaftand worm screw engaging the worm wheel, and means for turning the shaft to swing the frame to either side of the shaft for reversing the position of the loader.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ROBERT B. ROGERS. 

